Game apparatus.



T. S. WOOD.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12' 1916.

13311 683., Patented July 3, 1917.

J r J :1 woman THEODORE S. WOOD, OF NEW YORK, 1\T. Y.

e-AME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1917.

Application filed June 12, 1916. Serial No. 103,217.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, THEODORE S. WOOD, a cit1zen of the United States, residing at New York, Bronx borough, in the county 7 of Bronx and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to game boards; and has for its object to provide a game board so constructed that suitable figures may be moved about the same in a manner to display skill, and entail pleasure.

. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing containing but a single figure, the same embodying my invention.

Itris the general purpose of my invention to provide a board in which two separate countries, each containing a capital, is rep resented, and a body of water intervening between the countries. As the point of the game is to capture the capital of the opponents country, each opponent is provided with suitable figures for carrying on war operations, part of which are limited to the use of the water alone, and part of which may'cross the intervening water on suitable transports. As each country is liable to be invaded by the armies of the other country, suitable forts are provided for the defense of the capital, and suitable arrangements are made for the movement of regiments, troops of cavalry, and artillery corps. Parts of the forts are at thewaters edge so that they are available against the ships of war, qnd the warships are available against such orts.

Shading has been placed on'the drawing in accordance with the rules of practice, with the exception that in using. the shading to represent blue, or the water, parts of the squares are heavily shaded and the adjacent squares are lightly shaded to bring out more distinctly the delimitation of the squares for the purpose of defining clearly distances, and movement of the different pieces.

As shown in the drawing a game board is provided divided "into squares, and colored to represent two bodies of land, 1, and 2, separated by a body of water 3, which also extends back along the side of both bodies of land whereby each body of land is open to attack at the side as well as in front.

The body of land 1, is divided into squares of white and red, as shown by the shading;

a the b y and 2 i divided into squares of white, and green, as shown. The colors are not important,'but are used to make the divisions of the board distinct.

The body of water, or sea, 3, is also di- '1ded into squares, preferably colored blue as that is the way water is usually represented on colored maps. In order that the squares may be clear and distinct, part of the squares are colored alight blue, as indicated bythe light shading A, and the alternate squares are shaded a dark blue, as indicated by. the heavyzshading 5."

The body of land 1, is provided with four forts, 6, 7, 8, and 9, and with a capital 10; and the body of land 2, is provided with four forts 11, 12, 13, and 1 1, and a capital 15.

As described 1 above, the sea borders each body of land at both the front and side, as shown, and completely separates these bodies so that any communication between them must be by water. The sea is also made to border each of the forts 6, 7, 11, and 12, on two sides, as shown, while the forts 8, 9, 18, and 14:, as well as the capitals areinland. It will be observed that the forts 6, and 11, are at the respective corners of the two bodies of land as a protection to the respective bodies both at the front and side.

In playing the game each side is provided with twenty-nine pieces, as follows: seven pieces of artillery, seven of infantry, four of cavalry, seven battle ships, and four transports. At the beginning of the game the different troops are distributed as illustrated in the drawing, the artillery being indicated by triangles, the infantry regiments by squares, the cavalry by circles, the battleships by two circles with an intervening square, and the transports by an oval with a small circle at the bow to indi cate that the flag of one side may be sub stituted for the flag of the other side. It will be understood that these pieces may be colored differently to indicate the military ,bodiesof the different sides.

The object of the game is to capture the capital city of the players opponent in such manner that he cannot retake it in one move.

It will be observed that at the commencement of the game each fort contains a corps of artillery. Under the rules, if any military body, infantry, cavalry, battleship, or transport, comes within two squares, diagonal, or straight, of this artillery, it is captured, or sunk. As the forts on the coast are disposed at the beginningofthe game-there is little chance for an opposing force to land; and even when the battleships are moved out to attack, there it little room for the opposing force to pass in to attack the enemys land at the side owing to the disposition of one of the forts at the corner of the land commanding both the front and entrance to the side shore except at a considerable distance.

Land forces, infantry, cavalry, and artillery may be carried to the enemys shores on transports. Three bodies of troops may be loaded on one transport, and the transport then moves, and is subject to capture the same as if it contained no troops.

Forts containing artillery can be captured only when attacked by two bodies of troops, other than cavalry and transports the term troops here including battleships and transports. If attacked by three bodies simultaneously, which can be done by skilful moving, the artillery in the fort at the next move can sink but one of the battleships, or destroy but one of the bodies when at the next move the other two will take the fort and artillery when the land will be open to invasion.

When a transport is captured, it can be either retired (removed from the board), or the flag can be transferred. (The small circle on the oval is to indicate provision for the change of flag.) If the flag is changed, the transport can then be used as any of the transports belonging to that side at the beginning.

Land forces are captured when they occupy positions to which the opponent is entitled to move, and the opponent occupies that space. If, however, a land force is taken by a battle ship, or vice versa, the piece is removed from the board without the capturing piece changing its position.

hen a fort is taken the first time, or when it is taken containing artillery at any time, any piece desired may be demanded from the opponent, which piece may afterward be used as if originally owned without having been captured.

Battleships depending on their guns for their effects are governed by the same rules as artillery, except that they can not occupy a land position. A land force can not occupy a position on the water except when loaded on a transport, at which time it has no individual action.

The game can be played with a great deal of skill; and requires much time and attention. It is also very instructive.

I do not limit myself to any special construction of board; or to any particular manner of printing, or impressing the same to indicate the different squares, coloring, forts, or capitals.

' Gopies of this patent may be obtained for I claimi 1. A game board on the face of which is a representation of two bodies of land, and

forts bordering on said body of water, one

of which border on the water both at the front and side of said land.

3. A. game board on the face of which is a representation of two bodies of land, and

an intervening body of water completely bordering each land body on two sides, each of said land bodies having a plurality of forts bordering on the water, one of which border on the water both at the front and side of said land whereby each body of land is open to attack back of said last named fort.

a. A game board on the face of which is a representation of two bodies of land, and an intervening body of water, each of said land bodies having representations of forts and a representation of a capital, all of said bodies being laid out in squares, the forts and capitals being located on individual squares.

5. A game board on the face of which is a representation of two bodies of land, and an intervening body of water so disposed as to completely border each of said land bodies on two sides, all of said bodies being laid out in squares, each of said land bodies being provided with forts occupying individual squares bordering on the water, the squares being so arranged that each fort is bordered with water on two sides.

6. The herein described game comprising a board having on a face thereof a plurality of squares of one color representing a body of land, a plurality of squares of another color representing a second body of land, a plurality of squares of still another color representinga body of water, said body of water intervening between said land bodies and bordering each of said land bodies on two sides, each of said land bodies having two forts at the waters edge, each fort being bordered by water on two sides, and each land body being provided with two interior forts and a capital, all of said forts and capitals occupying individual squares, and military bodies adapted to be moved on said board.

Dated this 8th day of June, 1916.

THEODORE S. VTOOD.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

